HSE Releases Annual Work-Related Fatality Figures

The HSE have released their figures on fatal work-related injuries for the 2017/2018.

The latest stats show that 144 people were killed at work during the 2017/18 period- an increase of nearly 10 from last year’s 135. The figures show that work-related fatalities in the UK are not in decline: the figure of 144 is in line with the 147 fatalities in 2015–16, and 142 in 2014–15.

Around a third of the people killed were self-employed, which was more than twice than those who were directly employed by a company. The figures also show that older workers are disproportionately vulnerable at work, with 55 fatalities among the over 60’s making up 40% of the total, while this group represents only 10% of the workforce.

Work at height has regained its position as the most common cause of work-related deaths in the UK with 35 fatalities, compared to 25 in 2016-17 when it dropped to second place to fatalities resulting from being struck by a moving vehicle (31 last year, falling to 26 in 2017-18).

The agriculture (29) and waste and recycling (12) sectors are also confirmed as the UK’s most dangerous workplaces in this year’s HSE provisional figures for fatal injuries at work in 2017–18, with a fatality rate running at, respectively, 18 and 16 times the all-industry average.

The construction sector, with 38 deaths compared to 30 in the preceding year, had a fatality rate of four times the all-industry average, slightly lower than the rate of fatalities in the mining and quarrying sector, at five times the all-industry average.

In addition,100 members of the public died in 2017–18 as a result of work-related activities- eight more than the 92 who lost their lives in the preceding year. Of the 100 deaths, 51 were killed on railways, and a further 16 occurred in the health and social work sector.

These figures exclude suicides on the railways, and the deaths of patients or service users.